A Game of Change
by ReyaP30
Summary: In a scheme to win back her Albus' friendship, Rose finds herself in odd situations with Scorpius Malfoy. She despises him and the situations she gets into but finds herself second guessing everything she's ever believed in. Will she be able to complete her mission without repercussions or will she be tempted by the one thing she's afraid of? Rated T for now. Has a bit of humor.
1. Mission: Get Al Back

**Wow. I have not been on this site for a while. But I'm back and I brought a new story with me. It's going to be hard for me to manage all these stories at once, but I must say I feel a bit more invested towards this one at the moment. Enjoy the first chapter and I promise you it will the most boring one of the story. You know, this one's here to set the scene a bit. I've got really good ideas up my sleeve...**

* * *

The soft summer air blew across the grounds of the Potter mansion. The kids enjoyed the good weather for as much as they could. A few of them played Quidditch while others ran around harmlessly dueling each other. The entire family had gathered for one last day of fun before the next term started. It wasn't that they disliked school but they enjoyed the freedoms they had while they were at home. There weren't strict professors to keep them in line or classes to keep up with.

Rose and Albus sat together in the grass by the Quidditch pitch watching a mixture of their cousins and siblings play. During the summer the two wouldn't talk to each other, in mutual discomfort of each other's presence, but their parents had forced them into bonding. Rose didn't dislike her cousin but she had no reason to like him either. He had never been nice to her since they had attended Hogwarts. Rose blamed it on the fact that he had been sorted into Slytherin and therefore had been corrupted by those awful people. Al claimed that Rose was an arrogant, incorrigible and exceedingly judgmental.

In any case, the two did not particularly enjoy each others company. They sat in silence wishing they could be up in the air playing Quidditch with the family. It seemed as if the love for Quidditch was the only thing they had in common.

Rose cleared her throat in an attempt to be selfless by making the first move. "Lily's going to crash into Victoire if she doesn't straighten her broom."

Al glanced over at her and his eyes narrowed. "Hugo's not doing a spectacular job of flying himself."

Rose grimaced at her own mistake. Al had presumed she was trying to insult his sister and retaliated. She was not doing a very good job of mending their relationship. It would have been so much easier to avoid him and talk to Lucy or Dominique. Hell, even Fred would be better company. Yet for some reason she really did want to be close to Albus again. Before they attended Hogwarts, she and Al had been inseparable. They were the same age, and as children they'd done everything together.

She sucked in a deep breath. "Are we ever going to be friends again? Do you even _want_ to be friends again?"

Guilt spread over his features. He looked down and shrugged. "I don't want to fight with you. I just don't want to be around you, knowing you can't accept me. That would cause even more hostility between us."

Rose had the grace to look perplexed. "What do you mean I can't accept you? I have accepted you! You're my cousin and we were best friends once!"

Al looked up exasperated. "We _were_, Rose. It's been seven years since then. I'm not a little boy anymore and I'll admit that I've changed throughout the years. But you never talked to me after the Sorting in our first year. Is it so bad that I'm in Slytherin to you?"

Rose stared at him trying to phrase her opinion as lightly as possible. "I care about you Al. I was scared that you may start acting like a Slytherin. You know, cold and menacing. But you have more of the Gryffindor side to you than the Slytherin; so can we just be friends again?."

Al shook his head and tried not to get angry. "Have you ever considered you don't actually know anything about Slytherins? If you're not going to accept me then don't bother trying to be my friend and don't try to make me feel like my existence is a contradiction. I'm proud of who I am and I hope you get over your prejudices some day, Rose, because quite honestly the rest of the world has. Grow up."

He stood up and walk away leaving her fuming. She had half a mind to get up and seriously duel him for talking to her like that. How could he say that being a Slytherin was something to be proud of? And how dare he accuse her of being prejudice? She was the most tolerant person at Hogwarts. It wasn't just an preconceived notion that Slytherins were scum. It wasn't just a hatred based on the stories her parents told her about their school days.

It was just the way things were: Slytherins and Gryffindors didn't get along. They never would, not even within their own family. Rose snorted. Imagine if press had gotten hold of that bit of information. That the Weasleys and Potters did not have perfect families or perfect lives.

However since the war, the Weasley and Potter families had become important public figures. To anyone who wasn't in the family, one might have said perfection within a family exists.

* * *

Rose entered a compartment with Fred, Roxanne, and Lily. The rest of her family were mulling about trying to find seats with friends and such. She looked out the window and waved to her parents and aunt and uncle one last time. Quite literally the last time, Rose realized. It was her seventh year which meant it was the last time she'd board the train to go to school after summer break. The thought was slightly sentimental though not nearly enough to burst into tears over.

The train began to move and the compartment door opened to reveal three grinning Gryffindors, trunks in their hands. Rose laughed at them and helped them hoist their trunks on the rack above.

"What's with you Longbottom? You look like you just been snogging Nyma Jordan." Rose said suggestively.

Rory Finnegan and Robbie Thomas who had walked in with him laughed and Fred found it so funny he punched Longbottom in the arm. Roxanne finished chuckling and asked him another question.

"Honestly though Frank, have you asked her out yet? It's seventh year for you. Better get a move on." Roxanne advised.

Frank looked like he was about to throw up so Lily began making conversation talking about the Professors and classes. Rory and Fred kept the conversation going. They all chatted amiably but Rose found herself analyzing her words in the conversation afterwards. She didn't want to make the same mistake she had with Albus. None of her friends had mentioned that she was prejudiced so she tried to let it drop for the time being.

* * *

The Sorting was as boring as ever and it wasn't even hunger that was distracting her. She needed to think over things. Rose thought about her beliefs, which to her seemed perfectly rational. She and her friends had been in an intense rivalry with a group of Slytherins since first year. They never passed up an opportunity to strike out against her and it was unlike her to not retaliate. Those wankers deserved to be looked down upon for all the humiliation and bullying they'd done to her throughout the years.

It was then she realized that she was actually analyzing her personality. As if she needed to be changed. No, she was perfectly fine the way she was. She had never changed anything about her. Rose knew that if anyone was going to change it would be Al. It was the only rational solution. He had been a good person and had changed as a result of coming to school. All she needed to do was get him to change again, back to the way she knew him, no matter how proud he was of being a git.

One way or another Rose was going to get her cousin back from the clutches of those awful Slytherin prats.

* * *

**Well Rose is acting a bit frustrating isn't she? Please review and let me know what you think. I'm open to suggestions and critique. In fact, I encourage it. I value feedback in hopes it will help me improve as a writer.**

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day/night!**


	2. Disastrous First Day

**Thank you for the favorites and follows guys! It means a lot to me. So I just want to clarify something. I am American and I use American spellings for the words in my vocabulary. I am however using a bit of British terminology, mostly when it comes to insults. If I use a word the wrong way feel free to correct me. **

**I am including plenty of the Weasley/Potter family in the story but keep in mind that at this point Rose is in her seventh year and a lot of her relatives have graduated from Hogwarts. This means I will be creating OC's for the purpose of the story. **

**To reply to the reviews now,**

**el Guero: I agree with Al too. Eventually Rose will too. :)**

**TessHardingfan: Yay! I accomplished my goal. I wanted her to be conceited and arrogant but not have her know that she is. Like, she doesn't realize that she's wrong. I hope I conveyed that properly. Don't worry, Malfoy will knock her down more than a few pegs. ;)**

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Rose looked over her schedule once again and finished off a piece of toast. She had Charms, Ancient Runes and Advanced Muggle Studies on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursday mornings. She had double Potions and Defense against the Dark every afternoon and Artihmancy on Tuesday afternoons. Astronomy lessons were whenever Professor Sinistra desired to have them. Transfiguration was on Friday mornings. Rose sighed in frustration and made a mental note to write her schedule out in a more organized way. She gulped down a bit of water and stood up to leave when a body pushed past her, nearly knocking her over.

She spotted a nearly white blonde head walk past, no doubt belonging to The Git. Only The Git would make it a point to bully her on the first day of school. She rolled her eyes at his back and as if he knew what she was doing, he laughed. She walked out into the corridor, trying to control her temper. The Git never failed to make her blood boil. Nyma Thomas passed by and Rose exchanged a greeting with the girl. Rose absentmindedly tugged on her hair as she continued walking.

There was something calming about walking through the halls alone. It gave her time to relax and not think. She just liked the quiet from time to time. However, sadly nothing was permanent in her life either. She heard a sea of voices coming her way and she knew people were beginning to go to class.

Rose was the first to reach Flitwick's room. It was large and shaped like a semicircle on the inside. She took a seat and waited for the rest of the class to come. They shuffled in, in groups and Rose was devastated when she saw The Git and his friends enter the class. It seemed as if McGonagall enjoyed increasing the hostility in the school. She felt her blood pulsing in anger.

The Git looked around and his eyes landed on hers. He raised one blonde eyebrow at her in arrogance and then turned back to face the front of the room. Rose felt herself go warm, not in embarrassment or arousal but in fury. He was absolutely despicable. The whole lot of them were. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when Al sauntered into the room, blatantly winking at girls suggestively and sitting right next to The Git. Even worse was the the girls and The Git seemed to enjoy such behavior. Her leg was shaking and she bit her lip hard so as to hold back a yell.

Luckily Rory Finnegan entered the room and sat down right next to her. "Hey Rosie, how's it going?"

Normally, she hated it when people called her Rosie. Her name was Rose, any other rendition of the name, like Rosie or Rosey Posey, made it sound like she wanted to be treated like she was five. But somehow, when Rory said it, it was cute. The way his voice got playful and the warm glint in his eye was charming. She glanced at him and blushed as she so often did when they were alone together. She managed to quell her anger and say, "Fine. How about you?"

He chuckled and looked over at The Git and Al. "I know you're mad. Don't pretend to hide it."

She exhaled loudly and glared at the two that were offending her good mood.

"I just don't know how people like them exist. I mean Al's alright but Malfoy is a fucking wanker. I can't bloody believe people like him have money and power and on top of that he's got every bloody girl begging to be his sex slave. I just can't-"

Rory cut her off mid rant with a nervous chuckle. "Okay Rose, I get it. You hate Malfoy."

Rose blushed again, realizing how she must have sounded. Before she could apologize for being so crude, Professor Flitwick walked in, or rather, wobbled. The poor man was growing old and weary. He'd gone through two wizarding wars in his lifetime, both during the Voldemort times. He stood at the front of the classroom and wheezed.

"For the next few months we'll be learning Memory Charms. Let's start with the theory then. Open your books to page 26 and skim over the first two paragraphs." Flitwick instructed.

Rose had already read the first half of the book when she had gotten bored over the summer. Instead, she spent the allotted time glaring at the back of The Git's head. He didn't seem to be reading either. His head was close to Al's and they were both whispering with smirks on their faces. Al scoffed and shook his head. The Git patted lightly hit him and leaned forward in his seat. He raised his hand forward and lightly tugged on the robes of the girl in front of him. She leaned back at his touch. The Git whispered something to her and her face turned a deep shade of red. She smiled at him and flung her hair over her shoulder.

Rose snorted unable to hide her disgust. It was typical for The Git to engage in such a disrespectful manner. On top of that, he was teaching Al to become a sleazeball like him. She wouldn't let him. Rose had never been the one for dramatics but her cousin's future was at stake.

"What do you think you're doing? Stop harassing innocent girls!" She demanded of him.

He turned turned to her with a lazy grin on his face. She supposed she could see why the girl had been so attracted to him. He had high cheek bones giving him a dignified look, and yet it was a shame he'd probably never done anything classy in his life. A bit of his tousled white blonde hair fell across his forward and his silvery grey eyes looked at her in amusement. Rose had attracted a bit of attention to their interaction but that wasn't what mattered. Setting this git straight did matter.

"What's the problem Weasley? You a bit disappointed 'cause you don't get to join in on the fun?" He asked mockingly. That made her temper even worse. Rose was getting incredibly ticked off.

"I'm sure we have _very_ different ideas about what fun is, Malfoy." Rose replied coldly. His smirk only intensified.

"I'm sure. When was the last time you felt exhilarated? When you managed to finish the entire 7th year curriculum over the summer?" He taunted.

Rose stood up pulling her wand out. The entire class was watching now and Professor Flitwick was looking very flustered. Rose took a few steps toward The Git. He still had the air of arrogance about him but she knew he was fully prepared to duel her if need be. She was at the top of her class and he came in second to her.

She actually didn't even know why she felt insulted by his taunting. She _had_ in fact completed the seventh year curriculum over the summer. But they way he said it frustrated her. As if it was a bad thing to expand her knowledge. Maybe she was just angry because he was the one that said it. To make things worse, Al wasn't even defending her. They were related by blood and he hadn't spoken out on her behalf. Had The Git corrupted him to the point he'd turn back on his own family?

Al just seemed as if he were disappointed in her. He put arm on Scorpius' shoulder and faced Rose. "This is what I mean. Rose, just leave us alone."

Rose stood there gaping at them, unable to comprehend what was happening. She turned to Al.

"I can't believe it. You've become an arrogant prick like him" she accused, pointing at Malfoy, "and a manwhore!"

Professor Flitwick squeaked and tried to bring the class to order. "Miss Weasley, such an inappropriate display of behavior-"

"I'm not done dealing with these two gits!" She yelled at Flitwick, who drew back, who seemed unwilling to put an end to whatever was going on.

Al's face had hardened and his entire demeanor grew hostile. "Rose, within the past three days, you've insulted who I am, you've antagonized my friends and you have publicly humiliated me. I'm warning you right now to leave me alone or I won't forgive you next time."

Rose considered this and sat back down. The class, which had been silent for the duration of the altercation began to whisper. She could feel the stares of her classmates boring into her back and she felt the weight of people judging her. She chanced another glance at Al and The Git who were now laughing together as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Lily accosted her in the Gryffindor Common Room not long after her classes were done for the day. Rumors and speculations about what had happened in Charms this morning were flying all over the school. Rose had heard of few of them and found them to be highly inaccurate and absurd. Some suggested that Rose had actually been jealous of the girl Malfoy had been flirting with and that had caused her to create a scene.

"Rose, did you really have to? Al isn't a bad person just because he's in Slytherin. Neither is Scorpius. You just have to get to know them." Lily tried to persuade her.

She froze at her cousin's words. "Scorpius? Since when are you on a first name basis with Malfoy?"

Lily looked away, uncomfortable. She averted her eyes from Rose's face and started fidgeting with her fingers. "They just got to be friends last year and I've accepted that. Even if he's a bit uncomfortable to be around-"

Rose cut her off in anger. "He's made you uncomfortable? What has that slimy git done to you?"

Lily's eyebrows shot up. "Nothing like that. I only meant he's the only Slytherin besides Al I've ever talked to. It just takes a bit getting used to."

Rose huffed. "Why is Al friends with him anyway? That wanker has bullied me since first year, he challenges my position as first in our class, and he acts like he can get any girl to drop their skirts for him all the time!"

Lily's mouth tugged upwards at the corners tentatively. "Well, he's not all that bad if you get on his good side. As for getting girls, I'm sure the only girl that wouldn't drop her pants for him is you."

It could be said at this point that Rose Weasley was capable of breathing fire. Either that, or she was part dragon. Hearing her cousin defend The Git was more than enough to push her over the edge. More than that, saying she was the _only_ one that was _not _attracted to The Git completely made her lose faith in the woman race. That meant, her friends and cousins were probably secretly attracted him. Sure, The Git was outwardly pleasant to look at, she _very _grudgingly admitted to herself but his personality and family name gave him an emetic appeal. She almost did vomit at the thought of The Git being attractive to her.

"What do you mean by that?! Are you saying that you would?!" She yelled. Lily turned red and jumped up. She muttered a 'goodbye' and ran up the stairs to the girls dormitory. Rose headed to do the same and saw that everyone had been staring at her. She ignored them and started walking out the portrait hole. She was Head Girl this year, something she had almost forgotten until that moment. It seemed only yesterday that she'd gotten the letter from Professor McGonagall. The letter had said to go to the Headmaster's office for instructions after the first day of school.

* * *

Professor McGonagall's office was probably one of the most meticulously organized rooms she had ever seen in her life. The bookshelf on the right was perfectly kept, the books in alphabetical order by the authors last name. The walls were evenly covered with portraits of past Headmasters and the desk, thought covered in various magical items were arranged neatly in a row along the sides. Professor McGonagall was seated there, her stern face was peering at Rose.

"Miss Weasley, you're right on time. The Head Boy seems to be a bit late, however." She stated.

Rose nodded and tied her hair back in a ponytail. "Who is the Head Boy, Professor?"

The door opened the behind them and footsteps echoed towards the chair next to Rose. From the corner of her eye, she processed a flash of blonde hair. Unconsciously, her mouth dropped open. She refused to look at him in case the sight of him prompted her to attack him, making herself look straight ahead at Professor McGonagall. Her heart began to pound in shock and her breathing wouldn't quite stay at a normal pace. Professor McGonagall was quiet looking at the both of them. Her thin lips drew into a tight line.

"I can see you two are not completely at ease with each other. This will not do unless one of you decides to abdicate their position?" Professor McGonagall asked questioningly.

"Absolutely not!" Rose exclaimed.

At the same time, The Git said, "No way!"

Professor McGonagall interlocked her fingers. "Both of you were selected because you are the top of your class. If you refuse to quit, you must work together to complete your duties. I don't want your petty rivalry to reflect in your ability to be leaders of the school's student population. Is that clear?"

Rose nodded. She guessed The Git did too. She convinced herself that she could do this. Rose had always wanted to be Head Girl and she wasn't going to let The Git ruin it for her. She had so many other things things to worry about. She had her classes, her friendships, she needed to find a way to tell Rory she liked him, and she needed to get Al back. Rose made it a mission that she would try her best not to cause any trouble with The Git.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "There is another matter to clarify. As Head Girl and Head Boy, the two of you will not be living in your respective House dormitories this year."

The Git spoke. "Professor, are you trying to say-"

Professor McGonagall continued, cutting him off. "Yes, Mister Malfoy. The two of you will be living together in a private quarters."

The Git protested. "You can't expect me to live with her! We hate each other!"

Rose spoke up. "I can't live with him, either. I can barely tolerate him, let alone share space."

"Enough! As Head Boy and Girl you must show a sense of unity. I will not have you break a tradition since the time of the Founders! Do you understand?" Professor McGonagall yelled.

The Git and Rose nodded in compliance.

Rose was very mistaken. She did have more things to worry about.

* * *

**Okay so reading this over I realize it may get a little annoying that Rose calls Scorpius, The Git in her head all the time. I wanted to make it clear that she hates him so much she can't even call him by his name in her head. **

**Also, next chapter I will write about _why _she hates him so much. It's not because he's a Malfoy or because he's a Slytherin. There's a _personal_ reason behind it.**

**So ciao for now! Please review/favorite/follow if you can! I love feedback.**


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